June 11th is Rosé Wine Day – another day of the year where wine appreciation must surely be classed as “official business”.
Any time can be a great time for a rosé! It can be a lovely reminder of summer in a glass, even if you’re cosying up in front of a fire on a brisk Marlborough evening.
Rosé is amongst the oldest known styles of wine, dating back (so they say) as far as 600 BC. Rosé wines are generally made from red grapes and are very versatile wines that complement many styles of cuisine and different dishes. (We’re rather fond of it with seafood – naturally). The pink colour of rosé wine generally depends on the time the grape skin stays in contact with the juice (a process known as maceration). There are rosé wines that are semi-sparkling or sparkling, as well as still, and they can be produced in a sweet or dry style.
6 of Our Favourite Marlborough Rosé Wines
All quite different from one another, in a glorious celebration of the diversity of wines our region is capable of producing, we introduce… a half dozen of our favourite Marlborough rosé wines:
- Astrolabe’s Beacon Hill Vineyard Rosé has an incredible mix of aromas and flavours – from a rhubarb crème brûlée through to crabapple jelly and quince. A beautiful marriage of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris influences.
- We like the Forrest Wines Rosé philosophy – “ideal for a summer time, any time”. A good rose can indeed transport you to summer with one sip! This Pinot Noir, Malbec and Riesling blend delivers pleasing strawberry and cherry notes, with a slightly sweeter, but nicely balanced approach.
- Fromm’s La Strada Rosé is a scrumptious blend of Pinot Noir and Malbec. At the ‘dry’ end of the spectrum (with less than 1 gram per litre residual sugar) this beautifully structured wine also shows an interesting mix of strawberries right through to pink grapefruit notes.
- Lawsons Dry Hills’ Pinot Rosé 2015 is almost like liquid strawberries in a glass – intense and flavourful without being cloying. Lawsons recommend it with a warming chicken tagine, which sounds just perfect for this time of year.
- Saint Clair Pinot Gris Rosé is an elegantly pretty rosé, with more of the raspberry end of the taste spectrum. A weighty palate with great mouth-feel. Delicious!
- Spy Valley’s Pinot Noir Rosé – if you can get your hands on it – is a tasty, fruit-driven drop, with refined, balanced acidity. A beautiful reflection of the hand-harvested Marlborough Pinot Noir that it comes from.
Well…actually, with the wealth of glorious wines on offer, it’s hard to keep it to just half a dozen! So, we’re cheating and adding in an extra one – on the grounds it’s a sparkling rosé!
- Hunters MiruMiru Rosé is an extremely classy version of blush-pink bubbles. A rare example of New Zealand sparkling wine which includes the classic Pinot Meunier – which adds an extra layer of complexity. Subtle strawberries and brioche in a glass!
As you can probably tell, we love sharing our love of wine with visitors and locals alike. If you’d like to come out for wine tour around Marlborough focussed on rosé (or anything else for that matter) all you have to do is ask…
Cheers!
